How One Company Invested in Vendors to Deliver Better Marketing

Earlier this year I received an unusual invitation. A technology company called Pivot3 invited me to meet with them and a selected group of their vendors as part of a marketing summit. The meeting brought together the internal team responsible for Pivot3 marketing, as well as the group of vendors who work together on many aspects of Pivot3’s marketing deliverables.

The internal marketing team included representatives from corporate marketing, demand generation, customer reference, channel, and product marketing. The vendor list included strategists, advertising, public relations, analyst relations, web design, and video production. I cannot remember a time when each aspect of marketing was represented in a single room. I was thrilled about the opportunity to connect with and learn from this group of brilliant marketing professionals.

The event began with a welcome dinner at a nice place in downtown Austin. I had never eaten there, so I put on my power blazer and eagerly headed out. Upon arrival, it was obvious how friendly and excited to meet in person everybody was. Some of the vendors were new and some were long-time Pivot3 partners. A handful of vendors, who had worked together for years, met in person for the first time at this event. But regardless of tenure, everyone was very enthusiastic about the meeting. We enjoyed a nice meal in a casual atmosphere that broke the ice between us. Everyone left the dinner ready to get to work the next morning at 8am.

The morning greeted us with a torrential downpour, so I left my house early to get downtown in time. I entered to friendly greetings from those I met the night before and soon after enjoyed a delicious breakfast. Not a bad way to start a rainy day. From there, we got down to business. Our host, the Chief Marketing Officer for Pivot3, kicked off the day with introductions, goals for the day, and an overview of what Pivot3 does.

I have been working with technology companies for more than 20 years now, and I can honestly say that understanding Pivot3’s offerings is not an easy undertaking. However, after thirty minutes I felt as though I was ready to sell their solution myself.

Sharing a room with the internal marketing team meant the vendors could nail down answers to all of their questions. We received insight into the company’s past and current strategy, in addition to the goals for the next 3 months and the next 3 years! Working on marketing projects in a vacuum means that you only see a small part of the picture. This first presentation with the CMO gave us a great understanding of their company and where they want to go.

After our primer, we heard from one of the technical sales folks. We received an excellent overview of the business problems that their product solves, their key competitive differentiators, and a roadmap of where the product is going. These items are essential to understanding where each piece of the marketing puzzle fits together.

Next, we heard about Pivot3’s customers and partners. We dove into profiles of the companies that buy Pivot3 solutions and what triggers them to make that purchase. From there, we covered the partner strategy and how partners can help sell the product. The presentations made clear how we, as marketers, can provide the tools that the partners need to be successful. Finally, we covered demand generation plans and how the assets we create down the road will be used to fill the pipeline through demand generation campaigns.

The day flew by with insightful presentations and lively conversation. By 5pm I was tired but excited about the potential I saw. I also felt like a valued member of the Pivot3 marketing team and not “just another vendor.”

So why did Pivot3 make the investment in time, money, and effort to bring us all together? This was a brilliant move to unify a group of internal employees and external vendors into a single, cohesive team. Before this event, many of the vendors lacked a deep understanding of the company’s technology, products, and business goals. Everyone attending came out of the event well-educated and excited.

The sense of unity created at this event will allow us to work more efficiently and passionately moving forward. We now all carry personal connections within this extended team. We value knowing how every other vendor fits into the equation. This information is extremely useful as we build out marketing assets that will be deployed across multiple channels.

To me, the decision to get us all together and invest this time and effort meant that the team at Pivot3 views us as more then vendors. They view us as partners who are an essential part of their sales and marketing engine.

I’ll let you in on a little secret about agencies. Contrary to what many people might believe, we do have favorite clients. And we often shift resources around in order to go the extra mile for the clients that we respect and enjoy working with. This investment by Pivot3 showed me that they value my company as a vendor, and that demonstration of partnership goes a long way with my team. So as you plan your next marketing strategy session, consider inviting your vendors to the party. While it will cost you a bit to feed and entertain them, the results you see in your marketing from a unified team will far outweigh the small investment you make!